This invention relates generally to oxygen mask releases and, more particularly, to a device for positively removing a released oxygen mask from the face of a wearer.
Pilots and other aircraft crewmen, or aviators, wear oxygen masks which are secured to their protective helmets by a releasable device. When a crewman ejects from an aircraft in an emergency, the mask's oxygen hose automatically separates from the aircraft oxygen supply and the free end dangles below his shoulders.
As the crewman descends, the dangling supply hose enables breathing of atmospheric air through it. If the crewman has ejected over a body of water, contact with water will cause the dangling supply hose to submerge. If the crewman is disabled, unconscious, or otherwise unable to remove the mask, he may suffocate or drown.
To prevent such an occurrence, an automatic disconnect device (called a WAMRS--Water Activated Mask Release System) has been developed to automatically release the mask from the helmet. Such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,245 to Nowakowski et al. In this device, water immersion causes an explosive squib to separate one of the mask attachments to the helmet, thus freeing the mask for removal. Unfortunately, this released mask sometimes remains affixed to the crewman's face for a variety of reasons.
It would be desirable to prevent mask retention and to assure mask removal from the wearer's face by providing a device for positively forcing the released mask away from the aviator's face.